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The Vitaceae, also called the grape family, is a family of that has 20 genera and around 910 known species in its Monotypic taxon order Vitales, including common plants such as Vitis ( Vitis spp.) and Virginia creeper ( Parthenocissus quinquefolia). The family name is derived from the genus Vitis.
Most of its members are distributed in tropical areas and many are dominant Climbing plant with ecological significance. Some species of genus Tetrastigma serve as hosts to in another family Rafflesiaceae.
Members of Vitaceae show a high variety in their chromosome number. Most Vitis species have 38 chromosomes (n=19), but the species belong to one of Vitis
The family is economically important as the berries of Vitis species, commonly known as , are an important fruit crop and, when fermented, produce wine.
The extant species of Vitaceae are widespread and so is the fossil record.
In the Cronquist system, APG system, and APG II system, Vitaceae was placed near the family Rhamnaceae, and both families were placed under order Rhamnales.
In APG III system (2009) and APG IV system (2016), the family is placed in its own order, Vitales, and Molecular phylogenetic studies consider Vitales as the most basal order in the clade rosids.
Plants of the World Online currently accepts the following genera, and these genera can be placed in two subfamilies, Leeoideae and Vitoideae. The subfamilies are sometimes recognized as separate families. The cladogram below shows the relationships of Vitaceae from its order to subfamilies and tribes.
Vitis vinifera ( Vitis vinifera) is one of the oldest and most commonly cultivated fruit crops with its domestication begun around 6,000–8,000 years ago in South Caucasus region, and it has more than 40,000 grapevine cultivar names. The first American grape species being cultivated is Muscadine ( Vitis rotundifolia) and can be dated back to mid-18th century.
Fossil species Indovitis chitaleyae is believed to be the earliest example of Vitaceae. One study published in 2013 examined the fruits and seeds of I. chitaleyae unearthed from Late Cretaceous Deccan Plateau Intertrappean beds of several sites in central India. The seeds investigated, including the ones from immature fruits bearing 4-6 seeds each and isolated mature seeds, are about 66 millions years old, and they feature diagnostic characteristics of order Vitales, such as having "paired ventral infolds and a dorsal chalaza".
I. chitaleyae is grouped into the 5-petaled groups of Vitaceae by the study for its "confinement of the chalazal scar to an elliptical knot on the dorsal side". Several morphological evidences furthermore suggest a closer position to the extant Vitis, although the fossil seed lacks one commonly shared trait in most Vitis species and Ampelocissus of having a cylindrical, terminally truncate basal beak .
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